A holiday staple is pulling the plug in 2021.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) cancelled the remainder of 2022 World Junior Championship due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.
The recommendation was made to the IIHF Council by the the tournament COVID-19 Medical Group and the IIHF Medical Committee.
Three games in two days had to be forfeited due to a positive COVID-19 case.
Hockey Canada President Scott Smith and CEO Tom Renney shared the following statement:
“Hockey Canada has worked tirelessly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure it would be equipped to host world-class, international events in a safe and healthy environment. Despite our best efforts, and continually adapting and strengthening protocols, we have unfortunately fallen short of our goal of completing the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship and handing out medals on Jan. 5 due to the challenges of the current COVID-19 landscape.”
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have always made the health and safety of event participants and the community at large a priority, and given the news that we have encountered positive cases within the World Juniors environment, we understand and support the decision to cancel the remainder of the event. Although we know this is the right decision, we sympathize with all participants who have earned the opportunity to represent their countries on the world stage and that will not be able to realize that dream in its entirety.”
